Creamy Ham & Mushroom Spaghetti

I used leftover Christmas ham, but you can use any kind of ham, smoked ham, sausage or even chicken that you like. Just get your butcher (even at Cold Storage Singapore) to cut the ham into thick slabs instead of thin slices.

I used 250g of leftover Christmas ham for this recipe. You can use any kind of ham. Just ask your butcher to slice them into 1cm thick slices if they tend to slice them thin.

Cut the ham into small cubes.

Wash and rinse 120g of mushrooms. Feel free to add more if you like. I used shitake mushrooms here, but you can use any kind that you like.

Cut the mushrooms into large chunks.

Prepare 200g of spaghetti according to the package’s instructions. It usually takes about 10mins to cook.

I like to break the spaghetti into half and then place into a pot to cook with salt and boiling water.

While the pasta is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a pan.

When the pan is very hot, add the ham.

Pan fry the ham till they are golden brown.

Add 1 tablespoon of minced garlic.

Stir fry the garlic for a few seconds till lightly toasted. Then add the shitake mushrooms.

Stir fry the ingredients in the pan till the mushrooms have softened. This will take just about a minute.

Next, we add some chicken stock granules. I used Maggi chicken stock from Singapore. You can use any kind you like, but if it’s not a salty brand, then add more later. Don’t forget that some types of ham can be very salty.

Add 1 teaspoon of chicken stock granules.

Add 1 cup of liquid cream.

Heat the mixture till it’s bubbling.

Add 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese. I used freshly grated cheese here. It’s very fine because I used a microplane grater.

I like to sprinkle the cheese into the sauce by hand so that the cheese doesn’t clump up. Stir it well together.

At this point, TASTE the sauce. If it’s not seasoned enough, add a little more chicken stock, salt and pepper to taste. If it’s too salty, cut the saltiness with a little sugar.

The pasta should be cooked now. It’s always good to taste a strand to confirm it’s al dente. And then drain it. But don’t rinse!

Pour the hot pasta into a large serving bowl. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.

26 Comments

Hi Evelyn, yes, liquid cream usually comes in a tetrapak or a clear plastic bottle. If you shake the package and it moves like water, then that’s liquid cream. I state it to be “liquid” so that people don’t accidentally use thickened or whipped cream.

I have to admit that my guts tell me cooked turkey breast wouldn’t taste as good in this dish. But you could try and let me know how it goes! Cooking is really all about experimenting. I never know how something turns out till it enters my mouth! =)

Hi Yammie, where are you located at? I’ll see if I can help you hunt for it. Most cities that have milk produce will have cream as well. Sometimes they come in a tin, like condensed milk at the condensed and evaporated milk section. Sometimes in a tetrapak or plastic bottle at the yogurt/sour cream section. There really isn’t a good substitute for cream for this recipe. The flavours are very delicate and cream is the reason why it’s rich and creamy. You can try to use a combination of milk+butter, but the taste will not be the same.

Hi Bing, I chanced upon your blog while looking for shepherd pie recipes … and I was so impressed … my girls would definitely luv your Creamy Ham & Mushroom Spaghetti. I do not have much luck with creamy sauce, but yours looks simple enough for me to try … and yummy too !! Thanks for sharing. And the other recipes looks yummy too … would luv to try the jap cheese cake but not sure if my thermal broiler can do the trick.

Nice recipe (he says, without having tried it yet) but what I really wanted to compliment was the excellent photos. Food is really hard to photograph, so much so that the food easily looks bad. Not so in your photos. They look clear, and so the food looks appetising.

I wish I knew how to do it (I think it’s the lighting, but I’m a musician and IT bloke, not a photographer).